Stella Kalamarakis next to lead the West Springfield Rotary Club

Date: 4/14/2010

April 14, 2010.

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Stella Kalamarakis has always tried to be active within the community, from her six years on the West Springfield Arts Council to her time as a member of the PTO, to her most recent stint as a Rotarian.

It was just three years ago that Kalamarakis became a member of the West Springfield Rotary Club and her hands-on, all-in attitude has garnered the admiration and respect of her peers, making her the new president-elect.

"I was surprised at being selected," Kalamarakis said, adding that she'll be honored to lead such an extraordinary group.

"The Rotarians that we have are a group of very professional and caring people that want to make West Springfield a better place," she said. "They're also very passionate about doing this in the community and around the world."

Current Rotary President Greg Neffinger agreed, adding that in addition to local projects such as NovemberFest and the Taste of the Valley, the club's largest annual fundraiser, the West Springfield Rotary also runs an annual concert series, doles out community grants and helps to further Rotary International's mission to eradicate polio.

Neffinger noted Kalamarakis has been heavily involved in the aforementioned causes. "She's done a great job and will make a great president," he added.

When asked what being president has meant to him, Neffinger replied, "It gave me the opportunity to really look at our club and members as a leader and seeing how I could help strengthen our club and get involved with the day-to-day workings. It really made me feel more of a care and concern for each member of the club."

Neffinger offered some simple words of advice for Kalamarakis as well. "You really get out of it what you put into it and the president has an opportunity to put a lot into the club and see the results firsthand," he said.

Kalamarakis said she plans to keep in time with her predecessor's example, focusing her energies on NovemberFest and the Taste of the Valley as well as increasing membership.

Kalamarakis will officially take over as president in the coming months.

For more information about the West Springfield Rotary Club or to learn how to get involved, visit www.ws-rotary.org.